Anxious
by kungfupandaprodigy
Summary: Tigress is worried about Po after he doesn't return from a mission on time.


Tigress sat on her bed, anxiousness apparent on her face. She heard a knock on the door and let out a low, "Come in." She looked up and saw Viper slither up to her, a look of concern on her face.

"What's wrong, Tigress?"

_Was it that obvious that she was feeling uneasy._

"Oh, uh... nothing's wrong. Yeah, nothing's wrong." _Real smooth, Tigress. _Tigress mentally slapped herself.

Viper stared at her for a second, apparently not falling for it. "Something _is _wrong Tigress. You've been acting completely...un-Tigress-like for the past month. And in the last week, you've been acting even more differently. You can't fool me. You haven't eaten in a whole week. I can hear you twist and turn in your sleep. You failed multiple times on the training course this month when it usually takes you a whole year to mess up that many times. What. Is. Wrong?" Tigress cringed inwardly. It was amazing how Viper could analyze a person by just looking at the way he or she acted and by the looks on his or her face. When she got serious, she could make you obey her without question, even if you were stronger and more hardcore than her, as was the current situation with Tigress. "N-nothing Viper. B-believe me."

Viper jumped onto the bed beside her and looked at her face. She inwardly gasped when she saw the wrinkles under Tigress's eyes. "I don't believe you. Look at you Tigress! You have bags under your eyes. You haven't been sleeping either. Now, spill it. What's up?"

"I'm just worried about.. a-about..."

"About what?" Viper encouraged her.

"About uh.. P-Po," Tigress stuttered. Viper wasn't that shocked. After Po had saved China for the second time, Tigress had grown closer to him more than she had been close to any of the five or even her own father.

"Tell me why you're worried. Maybe that'll ease your nerves."

"I hate to admit this Viper, but I really miss that clumsy panda. He has been gone for a month now, and he was supposed to return from this mission last week. I can't believe Shifu told me after Po left that this mission is a life-threatening situation and that Po volunteered to go on his own to keep our lives out of jeopardy. What if the bandits, who are known as the most dangerous in all of china, captured him. What if they're torturing him. Or worse, what if t-they k-killed P-Po," Tigress was almost on the verge of tears. This surprised Viper. She had never seen Tigress this emotional. Viper tried to comfort her.

"Tigress, it is okay. I am sure Po will manage to return. He wouldn't just let us be miserable by getting himself killed. We all miss him Tigress. He changed our lifestyle from boring and serious to fun and exciting."

Tigress understood what Viper was saying but was still a little anxious about Po. She managed a weak smile at Viper. "Thank you sister. That helped calm me a little.

Viper slithered to the door before hesitating and turning to Tigress. "If one of us was on this mission, would you be as anxious as you are now?" That question sure caught Tigress off-guard as she was not expecting Viper to ask this. Tigress thought about it for a few seconds before sighing and answering, "To be honest, no. I would be worried about whoever went but not as much as I'm worried about Po. It's because he's the first person that makes me feel great and happy. Whenever Master criticizes me, Po is always there to tell me that I did awesome and not to worry about my mistakes. Viper, do you know why Po makes me feel so different. I'm more happy and less worried around him." Viper took a deep breath before answering, "You probably won't believe me, but you're in love with him. You hugged him in Gongmen City Tigress, and you've never hugged anyone before."

Tigress just stood up, a blank look on her face. "But, I can't be. How could I fall in love with a big fat panda?"

"You have fallen in love with him, and you can't do anything but embrace the fact, and maybe tell him that you love him."

"I can't tell him! What if he doesn't feel the same way."

"Did you see the way he hugged you after defeating Shen. He's always protective of you Tigress, like when he swam to you and checked if you were okay after you were shot by Shen's cannon. And I think I've caught him staring at you more than once," Viper snickered as she said the last part. Tigress sighed and added, "Maybe he does love me, but we won't know for sure until he returns... if he returns," again Tigress had a worried look on her face. "I'm sure he'll return. He won't just leave you on your own," Viper said as she slithered out of Tigress's room, leaving her to herself.

_I love you Po. Please return from your mission. _Tigress laid down on her bed and dozed off to sleep.

_One week later..._

Po still hadn't returned to the Jade Palace. Tigress was getting more and more anxious as she tried to go to sleep after dinner. Everyone else had dozed off already, but all she could do was worry about the whereabouts of Po.

As she was pondering about Po, she heard footsteps in the hallway. An intruder! She leaped out of bed and into the hallway. Since it was dark, she couldn't see the intruder completely, even with her great vision. She heard the heavy footsteps of the intruder and tackled him to the ground. She felt the intruder groan and say, "I'm happy to see you too..?" She froze. Could it be? She managed a shaky word. "Po.." "Yes, it's me Po. Your claws are hurting me. I'm so happy to finally see you." To his surprise, Tigress broke away and slapped him across his face. She stormed into her room, leaving him to wonder what he did wrong. He raised himself onto his elbow in bewilderment before getting up. He moved over to the door leading to Tigress's room and knocked. He stepped in when he heard no one reply. To his shock, he saw Tigress sitting on her bed, tears pouring from her face.

Po stepped forward and put his paw on Tigress's shoulder. She was still crying. "Tigress.. What's wrong?"

She ceased her crying for a while before answering, "What's wrong! Do you know how much I've been worried about you. You left without even a goodbye and later Shifu told me you were on a life threatening mission. How could you?"

Po took her into a bear hug and said, "Tigress, I am so sorry. If I had known, I would have tried escaping earlier. It's okay now. I am back and I won't leave you ever again." He could feel his chest fur getting wet. He didn't understand. Why did Tigress miss him so much?

"Did you say escaping?" Tigress saw the bruises on Po's arms and had a slight idea of what happened.

Po took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, the bandits captured me and I managed to escape to come back to.. you."

"You came back for... me."

Po blushed and said, "Yes, because I..." he trailed off.

"Because I love you," Po said quickly and then looked away.

Tigress just stared at him blankly.

"I know you might not feel the same way, but it was the only way. I couldn't just bottle up my feelings for you." He looked down sadly until he felt a pair of warm lips attach to his. He froze, not knowing how to react. Tigress broke away from him and said, "I love you too Po. Don't leave me alone ever again."

"Never again, Tigress, never again." They leaned in for another kiss, but this time Po was prepared. His hands instinctively went around her waist, pulling her closer. This, they both decided, was what they wanted: to be loved. That night, Tigress had the best sleep ever, being held in Po's arms.


End file.
